Dark Hair: Six Reasons it'll Knock Their Socks Off

As part of his series "Hair Color Essentials", Rocco Starr explains six show stopping benefits of dark hair. You'll be surprised how dark hair is more than just a simple hair color!

Dark hair's striking. It can look so seductive, glossy and healthy. It can add an unmistakable mysterious quality to a person's image- a sophistication reminiscent of glamorous parties and stepping into moody restaurants from chauffeur driven black cars. Dark hair's also got an edginess that adds to its wearer's appeal a brooding and passionate effect. Whether it's a catwalk model or a crooning emo front man, dark hair's got something special everyone notices.

There's no denying that dark hair is noticeable in a really particular way. It's striking because it's subtle and understated; kind of like the appeal of a piece of chocolate versus a shot of tequila.

You don't believe me? Imagine an emo front man like Pete Wentz with blonde hair, or Marilyn Manson. Their impact would be completely diluted. Dark hair promotes an intensity of image without being over the top.

I've worked in a lot of salons, and on more than one occasion I've seen the driest, most terrible looking hair look a lot healthier when processed with a dark color; for example dark brown hair or a black color.

I'm not saying that dark haircures dry or damaged hair; I'm saying that dark hair color can camouflage damage really well. It's got something to do with the way light reflects off dark hair, making it seem glossy, shiny and healthy (especially on straight hair).

People with dark hair look like they've got thick, dense hair. Often naturally dark hair is in fact thicker, and this has got something to do with DNA and stuff, but a lot of the time it just looks thicker because of the type of pigment in the hair shaft.

It makes sense that if naturally dark hair looks nice and thick and dense, then artificially colored dark hair will have a similar effect. So if you want to accentuate the appearance of your hair's density, I recommend a dark hair color

Dark hair can be great for promoting your best assets. It can be a really good way to highlight your eye shape and color, and if you've got a youthful, bright and blemish free complexion, dark hair can create an amazing contrast.

I bet you never realised that dark hair color can actually make some hairstyles look even better. Dark hair color can draw attention to the vertical lines of certain cuts, such as bobs, wedge cuts and geometric cuts (one side is longer than the other), dramatically accentuating them. Even short crops tend to work better because the dark color works to promote their shape.

Dark hair is sexy, just like black lace lingerie- and that old saying, "Tall, dark and handsome." Maybe it's got something to do with dark hair's relationship with night time, or its historical embodiment (in Hollywood movies) in femme fatales and mysterious, sexy strangers. It's not really my job to explain why, but take my word for it: dark hair is sexy.

Dark hair can look great, and if you think it's boring and conservative, that's totally not the case. Dark hair is classy, subtle and edgy; it's eye-catching and noticeable because it's not showy. It's brooding and compelling. And you don't have to be Angelina Jolie to make it work either; dark hair can look healthy and shiny on anyone, promoting shape and adding striking contrast.